The present invention relates generally to motor vehicle lamps. More specifically, the present invention relates to aimable retention assemblies for aiming the beams of motor vehicle lamps with respect to the vehicle.
Motor vehicles are required to have external illumination provided by vehicle lamps such as headlamps, foglamps, and the like for illuminating oncoming road or terrain and signaling the drivers of other vehicles. Vehicle lamps illuminate approaching roadway or terrain by projecting a light forward of a vehicle. Indeed, vehicle lamps are a significant safety feature of modern vehicles, and their use is both common and well known in the art.
Vehicle lamps are often designed as sealed assemblies which are incorporated into a vehicle""s front end. To this end, vehicle lamp assemblies are designed and constructed to conform to the space limitations and the aerodynamic requirements of each vehicle. Further, to maintain proper angular orientation of the lamps with respect to the vehicle, vehicle lamps are commonly provided with aiming mechanisms which both aim and support the lamp.
A typical aiming mechanism comprises three supports: one horizontal adjusting mechanism, one vertical adjusting mechanism, and one a pivotal connection. The relative placement of the pivotal connection and the horizontal and vertical adjusting mechanisms are such that the horizontal adjuster is displaced horizontally, and the vertical adjusts vertically, from the pivotal connection. All three of the supports are weight-bearing in that they bear the weight of the lamp unit while supporting it within a mounting bracket attached to the vehicle. In addition, all three supports provide a means for adjusting the orientation of the lamp unit in relation to the support frame about vertical and horizontal axes of adjustment.
Generally, the horizontal and vertical adjusters comprise spring biased screws which support the lamp unit in a cantilevered relationship where one end of the screw is attached to the support frame while the other end is attached to the lamp unit. By axially rotating the screw, the point at which the screw is attached to the lamp unit is either moved towards or away from the support frame, depending on the direction of rotation. When the horizontal adjusting screw is thus rotated, the lamp pivots about the vertical adjusting screw and the pivot. Together, the vertical adjusting screw and pivot define the vertical axis of adjustment. In a similar fashion, when the vertical adjusting screw is axially rotated, the lamp unit pivots about its horizontal axis of adjustment, which is defined by the horizontal adjusting screw and the pivot. In this manner, the direction of a light beam emanating from the lamp unit can be adjusted in a horizontal plane and in a vertical plane to achieve a desired orientation.
Typically, aimable vehicle lamps are retained in mounting brackets which brackets are adapted and configured to be mounted in a motor vehicle. Further, as a result of advances in plastics technology, manufacturers are increasingly fabricating mounting brackets out of plastic or plastic-like substances.
Conventionally, lamp housings and brackets are manufactured as separate components by injection molding or other plastic molding techniques. Subsequently, the separate components are assembled with additional hardware for later installation in a vehicle during vehicle production.
In the design and manufacture of vehicle lamps, it has been long recognized that even relatively small manufacturing cost savings per part can be desirable. This is so because lamp components are typically mass produced by injection molding or other plastic forming techniques. Furthermore, they are designed to be interchangeable, that is designed to the space limitations and aerodynamic requirements of multiple styles of vehicles of similar design. Consequently, over the long run these small savings may add up to substantial amounts. It is this savings that may differentiate one unit from the competition. Therefore, vehicles are designed to be economical in materials, parts and assembly.
It should be appreciated that the light beam patterns for vehicle headlamps and vehicle foglamps are substantially dissimilar. Fog droplet tend to scatter light, producing considerable glare which diminishes driver visibility. To avoid this problem, the light beam from a foglamp is projected downwardly to reach the ground a short distance ahead of the vehicle. Any longer projection of this light beam is undesirable as it results in increased glare. In contrast, vehicle headlamps are required to project a light beam for a considerable distance from the vehicle. To this end, vehicle lamps employed as headlamps are aimed in a substantially horizontal direction rather than in a downward direction so as to illuminate an adequate portion of oncoming terrain while not presenting a dangerous condition for oncoming drivers, such as glare to the occupants of oncoming vehicles.
Since foglamps are generally aimed relatively closely to the forward end of the vehicle, their horizontal alignment is generally not as significant to performance as their vertical alignment. Indeed, vertically misaligned foglamps may either not provide a vehicle operator with sufficient forward illumination, or temporarily blind other drivers on the road, or both. Further, federal, state and many local jurisdictions have promulgated regulations concerning the vertical alignment of vehicle lamps. Thus, proper alignment of a vehicle""s foglamps is of extreme importance and myriad vehicle lamp mounting and adjustment arrangements are thus well-known in the art.
As discussed, in conventional adjust and support apparatus, the horizontal and vertical mechanisms serve the dual functions of support and adjustment. However, for the reasons discussed herein, horizontal adjustment of foglamps is not critical because, unlike headlamps, foglamps typically only require vertical adjustment. Consequently, it has been recognized that the adjustment capability of the horizontal adjustment mechanism is unnecessary. Indeed, the horizontal adjusting mechanism in these prior lamp assemblies need only perform a weight bearing function. Thus, the additional components necessary to provide for both support and adjustment functions render these assemblies unnecessarily complex and expensive. Although the prior art has suggested providing only weight bearing support at the horizontal support points, none have taught or suggested employing a pair of integral living hinges at the horizontal bearing points.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an foglamp assembly which is effective for its intended purpose and low in cost to manufacture and install, and easy to install. Further, it would also be desirable to provide a foglamp assembly comprising the fewest components necessary to suitably retain the housing while providing for vertical adjustment. Still further, while the prior art lamp assemblies allow for the construction of components via injection molding, they do not allow for the housing and bracket to be formed together in a single injection molding cycle. Thus, it would also be desirable to provide a foglamp assembly that can be constructed as one-piece via injection molding.
In accordance with the present invention, a one-piece housing and bracket vehicle lamp assembly is provided. The one-piece lamp assembly is suitable for use as a foglamp or other type of vehicle lamp. The benefits of the present invention are realized by: employing living hinges integrally connecting the housing and bracket at the side pivot points of the lamp assembly; and molding a radially extending adjustment tab off plane with the bracket. The integral living hinges and the off plane adjustment tab allow for injection molding fabrication in one-step. Further, the integral living hinges of the present invention provide pivotable retention with fewer components than prior art assemblies. Thus, assembly is simplified and costs are reduced. Additionally, obviating the need for more components decreases the number of possible failure points. Further, according to the present invention, the lamp housing and mounting bracket may be constructed as one-piece via an injection molding process. Thus, an overall production economy is realized.
In accordance with the present invention, a vehicle lamp assembly is provided comprising: a reflector housing having an open front end adapted to receive and retain a lens, a rear end opposite the front end adapted to receive a bulb, and configured to reflect light from the bulb through the lens; and a mounting bracket adapted to be mounted to the vehicle. The housing and the mounting bracket are molded as a one-piece assembly with the housing and the mounting bracket being joined along at least one integral living hinge which pivotably supports the housing and defines a pivoting axis about which the housing is pivotably adjustable in relation to the mounting bracket so that the orientation of the housing with respect to the bracket may be adjusted.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle lamp assembly is provided comprising: a housing having an open front end adapted to receive and retain a lens and a rear end adapted to receive and retain a bulb remote from the lens; and a mounting bracket adapted for mounting on a motor vehicle. Also included is a pair of integral living hinges that are integrally with the housing and the mounting bracket in a single unitary molded assembly, the hinges pivotably coupling the housing and the mounting bracket so as to allow adjustable aiming movement of the housing with respect to the mounting bracket. Additionally, an adjuster is disposed between the housing and the mounting bracket foe adjusting the position of the housing with respect to the mounting bracket to direct light emitted from the lens of the assembly in a selected direction. The adjuster is adapted to engage the housing such that the adjuster is capable of pivoting the housing with respect to the mounting bracket along the hinges.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle lamp assembly for emitting light having one-piece construction is provided. The assembly includes a housing pivotably coupled to a mounting bracket as a single unitary unit by a pair of integral living hinges, molded in a single mold. The integral living hinges define a flexible line of weakness between them to allow the housing to be pivoted with respect to the bracket.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a motor vehicle lamp assembly is provided comprising: a reflector housing having an open front end adapted to receive and retain a lens and a rear end adapted to receive and retain a bulb remote from the lens; and a mounting bracket adapted for mounting on a motor vehicle. The housing also includes an integrally molded tab extending radially outwardly adjacent from the open end of the housing which tab is configured to be operable by an adjuster mechanism. The assembly further includes an adjuster disposed between the housing and the mounting bracket for adjusting the position of the housing with respect to the mounting bracket to direct light emitted from the assembly in a selected direction. The adjuster is adapted to engage the tab such that the adjuster is capable of continuously adjusting the position of the housing with respect to the mounting bracket. Additionally, a pair of integral living hinges are integrally molded between the housing and the mounting bracket for pivotably coupling the housing and the mounting bracket so as to allow adjustable aiming movement of the housing with respect to the mounting bracket as directed by the adjuster.
In accordance with still another embodiment of the invention, a method for pivotably adjusting the aim of a foglamp is provided, which method comprises the steps of: providing a one-piece housing and bracket joined at a pair of integral living hinges, the integral living hinges pivotably supporting the housing and defining a pivoting axis about which the housing is pivotable; providing an adjuster for causing the housing to pivotably rotate with respect to the bracket so as to effect adjustment of the aim of the lamp; and adjusting the aim of the lamp by operating the adjuster.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a method for aiming a motor vehicle lamp the type having a housing and bracket of one-piece construction is provided, which method comprises this steps of: pivotably coupling between the housing and bracket via a pair of integrally molded living hinges; providing an adjuster for directing the housing to pivotably rotate so as to effect adjustment of the aim of the lamp; and adjusting the aim of the lamp by operating the adjuster.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a method for adjusting the aim of light emitted from a foglamp assembly is provided, which method comprises: providing a housing with an open front and adapted to receive and retain a lens and a rear end adapter to receive and retain a bulb remote from the lens; providing a bracket adapted for mounting in a motor vehicle; pivotably coupling the housing to the bracket by a pair of integrally molded living hinges; providing an adjuster for directing the housing to pivotably rotate about the hinges so as to effect adjustment of the aim of the lamp; and operating the adjuster to adjust the aim of the lamp.